Ed Snyder began this blog in order to share his decade-long experience with all things cemeterial. As a photographer specializing in images of cemetery statuary, I've run into some interesting people, had some unexplainable experiences, and had a lot of fun.

Monday, March 21, 2016

HEY JOE – A Rather Unusual Roadside Memorial

People mourn, grieve, remember, and memorialize the dead in
countless ways. I can respect that. Recently, I happened upon a rather
unusual rural memorial to the dearly departed. Rural roadside memorials
have an advantage over urban memorials in the matter of sheer real estate. In
the city, you’re pretty much contained to a telephone pole with a few bouquets
of flowers placed around it. Out in the country, you can go large.

This week, we visit a memorial gorilla in south Jersey. Not
just any gorilla, but a 25-foot high Fiberglas statue of a gorilla. Here's a photo of me (taken by my friend Susan Argiro Spitz) standing in front of the primate, just for size reference - I am six feet, two inches tall. When you see the name, "Mighty Joe," you might think of the King Kong-style giant gorilla, "Mighty Joe Young," star of the silver screen (1949). However, this is a memorial to a different Mighty Joe. The
text on the gorilla's sign speaks for itself, a sad reminder of a lost son. I have transcribed the sign's text below.

Hello,

My name is Mighty
Joe

I have been
placed here by the Valenzano family as a memorial

And to pay
tribute to their son Joseph who now lives in the kingdom of heaven.

Joe was a
big part of this family business and he was also a body builder

and won many
awards. He was called “MIGHTY JOE” at times by

his family
and friends. Joe was not only mighty in his appearance

but also in
courage, spirit and love of family.

Joe is truly
missed by his family and friends, but not forgotten,

And he is
always in their thoughts and prayers.

My job is to
look up to heaven from time to time and say

“HEY JOE WE
WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU” and to welcome you to our family business.

God bless
you all and thanks for coming to see me.

Mighty Joe

The sonmay not have been more that eighteen when he
died (by the look of the photo at the bottom of the sign) of a brain tumor in 1999. The family, who owns “Mighty Joe’s” gas station, grill, and deli on Route
206 in Shamong, New Jersey, purchased the gorilla from a South Jersey amusement
park that closed. According to the good folks at Roadtrippers.com:

"Mighty Joe was previously located in Wildwood, NJ. He was
installed at the Islander Raceway and Amusement Park where he was known as
George the Gorilla. Today, a sign covers the two holes in his chest that had
slides projecting from them."

Larry Valenzano, Mighty Joe's father, purchased the gorilla around 2003, had it restored, and installed it at the family business to serve as a mascot and memorial. Larry had seen the derelict gorilla in the broken down amusement park many times during trips to Wildwood and he said it always reminded him of his bodybuilder son. According to RoadsideAmerica.com:

"My wife thought I was crazy," Larry said.
"She told me, 'That guy's not gonna sell you that gorilla. You're out of
your mind. What makes you think he would sell that to you?'" But the guy did sell Larry the gorilla, bypassing 15 higher
bidders. "'I don't need the money,'" Larry remembered him saying at
the time. "'And the reason you want it is more important.'"

Mighty Joe’s actual address, should you want to meet him, is
1231 US Hwy 206, Shamong, New Jersey. Our kind friends at RoadsideAmerica.com
give these specific directions: “Mighty Joe's Gas, Grill & Deli. On the
west side of US Hwy 206, a little over four miles south of Hwy 70, and about a
half-mile south of Tuckerton Rd."

The giant gorilla just appears out of nowhere as you're flying south on 206 through the Jersey Pine Barrens.
Like so many of New Jersey’s roadside attractions, all of a sudden its just
THERE! – and its up to you to decide whether you want to hit the brakes and
investigate!